Former Seoul Cheong Intelligence Chief Ignored Police Report Ahead of Halloween

Park Sung-min "Who told you to write, it's the weekend so we must fully respond to the rally"

On December 5 last year, when the detention hearing for four police executives who were charged with poor response to the Itaewon disaster and suspected deletion of information reports was held, Park Seong-min, former head of the Public Safety Information and Foreign Affairs Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (Senior Superintendent), was entering the Seoul Western District Court. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] It has been revealed that police officials ignored police reports related to crowd control ahead of the Halloween festival before the Itaewon tragedy and focused instead on managing protests.

According to the indictment obtained on the 10th through the office of Kim Namguk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the prosecution believes that personnel in the police 'intelligence line' disregarded reports submitted before the Itaewon tragedy. It is known that police intelligence personnel prepared and submitted a total of three reports: on October 4 last year, "Safety Management Status and Accident Risk Factors of Autumn Festival Events," on October 6, "Halloween Day, On-Off Duty Policing Burden Factors," and on October 7, "Concerns about Illegal Risks such as Attending Parties in Police Uniforms on Halloween."

Park Seongmin, former head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Intelligence Department, who was arrested and indicted on charges of instructing evidence destruction, also ignored the "Itaewon Halloween Festival Public Safety Risk Analysis" report received from an intelligence officer at Yongsan Police Station on October 26 last year, just before the tragedy. The report highlighted concerns about crowds gathering around the Itaewon area, especially the alley near the Hamilton Hotel, posing various risks. Along with the report, Park reportedly received a briefing indicating his intention to "go out to Itaewon to manage the crowd on-site and promptly respond by requesting backup if dangerous situations arise." However, Park responded to the reporter by saying, "Who told you to write this? Since it's the weekend, we must focus all efforts on handling protests," and added, "It's like Christmas. Do intelligence officers go out during Christmas? Just submit the materials and attend the protests."

Furthermore, the prosecution specified that Park explained a response plan to the Seoul Police intelligence line to divert public opinion immediately after the tragedy. On October 30 last year, shortly after the incident, he shared via KakaoTalk a response plan with police intelligence personnel stating, "If the view arises that the deployment of personnel was insufficient > it will highlight the Seoul Police Agency's inadequate response and lack of personnel due to handling large-scale weekend protests. If the responsibility is attributed to the organizers or local governments' safety negligence > it will lead to increased accountability for local governments, thereby easing the police burden - active investigation efforts are necessary to emphasize local government responsibility."

He also sent a message to police officers in charge of security functions saying, "The police are not the primary party responsible for ensuring safety," and "It would be better to break the custom where police partially maintain safety at local festivals and events, and instead, police should take overwhelming coercive control only when there is a risk to crime, and the life, body, or property of the public."

There is also evidence of attempts to destroy evidence. On October 31 last year, shortly after the tragedy, Park reportedly tried to persuade an intelligence officer through a Yongsan Police Station section chief by saying, "What if we say we didn’t write the 'Itaewon Halloween Festival Public Safety Risk Analysis' report? How about deleting all the computers?"

Meanwhile, the prosecution conducted a full-scale search and seizure of the National Police Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Yongsan District Office on the same day. It is known that investigators were dispatched to the National Police Agency’s Informatization Infrastructure Division and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Public Safety Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Division to obtain reports prepared by police intelligence personnel and records of conversations among police officers at the time.